***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[TipihlowLadies]

Hi everyone!I had a incident in the coop this morning.my 2 year-old Buff roo and my 1 year-old Americana cross roo settled the issue of who is#1pretty boy Floyd by TKO unfortunately the best man didn't win!What do I need to do with a missing eye on Little Big Man does it need to be packed or just need antibiotics.

 

[ftpagain]

say hello to my new fuzzbucket

 

[Loriemarler]

I am really really wanting a blue egg layer for my flock. How easy are they to find in OK and how much am I looking at spending? I am not even sure what breeds lay blue eggs besides cream legbars and Easter eggers Advice please

 

[lonnyandrinda]

I am really really wanting a blue egg layer for my flock. How easy are they to find in OK and how much am I looking at spending? I am not even sure what breeds lay blue eggs besides cream legbars and Easter eggers Advice please

Cheapest bet will be Easter Eggers. Fairly easy to find and inexpensive. Don't ALWAYS get a blue egg but most of the time you will. Pea comb, green legs, and muff are common but not always present. They can look like anything under the sun. Laying ability and egg size will vary greatly by line. Mine are Ameraucana X Rhode Island Red. Since I use a production RIR as a parent I'd say mine are decent layers, 4-5 eggs per week.



Next will be Ameraucanas. BUT watch out, MANY people think EEs are the same and will sell you an "Americana" or "Amerucana" or any number of names that is really an EE. If they are really EEs they will probably be cheaper. If they are true Ameraucanas they will probably be a little more expensive. You can find a breeder at www.ameraucana.org and you can see pictures of the different accepted varieties, too. If you just want blue eggs it really doesn't matter- except that EEs don't ALWAYS lay a blue egg so it could bite you if you don't do your research. They are not fantastic layers, I'd say 3 per week is a good average, and I'd say the egg is between a medium and a large. Mine haven't laid a single egg since September. I have blue and black Ameraucanas.



More expensive would be Cream Legbars. I sell them and several other breeders in Oklahoma, Carolyn Joy near OKC is one. www.creamlegbarclub.org has a membership listing. The real selling point on Cream Legbars is they are an egg laying breed. I'd say 5-6 large blue eggs per week during peak season and 3-5 the rest of the year.



Another option- I cross Cream Legbars with white leghorns to create a Super Blue Egg layer, AKA Sapphire. They are white birds sometimes they have black leakage feathers here and there; they lay a large to extra large egg, I'm hoping for 6 eggs per week from them. They are gorgeous. And since they are a mixed breed they are cheaper, I charge the same amount as for a pure Ameraucana chick. They will not breed true, only 50% of their offspring will lay blue eggs if you breed them.

 

[Loriemarler]

Cheapest bet will be Easter Eggers. Fairly easy to find and inexpensive. Don't ALWAYS get a blue egg but most of the time you will. Pea comb, green legs, and muff are common but not always present. They can look like anything under the sun. Laying ability and egg size will vary greatly by line. Mine are Ameraucana X Rhode Island Red. Since I use a production RIR as a parent I'd say mine are decent layers, 4-5 eggs per week. Next will be Ameraucanas. BUT watch out, MANY people think EEs are the same and will sell you an "Americana" or "Amerucana" or any number of names that is really an EE. If they are really EEs they will probably be cheaper. If they are true Ameraucanas they will probably be a little more expensive. You can find a breeder at www.ameraucana.org and you can see pictures of the different accepted varieties, too. If you just want blue eggs it really doesn't matter- except that EEs don't ALWAYS lay a blue egg so it could bite you if you don't do your research. They are not fantastic layers, I'd say 3 per week is a good average, and I'd say the egg is between a medium and a large. Mine haven't laid a single egg since September. I have blue and black Ameraucanas. More expensive would be Cream Legbars. I sell them and several other breeders in Oklahoma, Carolyn Joy near OKC is one. www.creamlegbarclub.org has a membership listing. The real selling point on Cream Legbars is they are an egg laying breed. I'd say 5-6 large blue eggs per week during peak season and 3-5 the rest of the year. Another option- I cross Cream Legbars with white leghorns to create a Super Blue Egg layer, AKA Sapphire. They are white birds sometimes they have black leakage feathers here and there; they lay a large to extra large egg, I'm hoping for 6 eggs per week from them. They are gorgeous. And since they are a mixed breed they are cheaper, I charge the same amount as for a pure Ameraucana chick. They will not breed true, only 50% of their offspring will lay blue eggs if you breed them.

The cream legbars are gorgeous!!! There probably isn't a bantam variety. I will definitely have to talk to you about gettibg cream legbar or Easter egger eggs or chicks

 

[BetsyOK]

When I got out yesterday to check everyone, there are actually 16 chicks rather than 14, and all look good. Our chicken caretakers did a very good job with them. We have more than a dozen coops/pens, with between 80 to 120 chickens at any given time, so it is quite a job. Of course, we try to pay well.

Talked with Matt at length yesterday, and he's already picking out the spot to build their first chicken pen--designing it on the order of mine. Madison, his just-turned-four-year-old darling, helped him diligently with the chickens, and loved it! Matt said she remembered everything I'd told them and prompted him several times when he didn't do it "right". She was a delight when I took them around to show them what to do before going (also left them detailed written instructions). She noticed right away that our dog knew my routine with the pens, and several times said, "just follow the dog!" Shiloh was very happy to get to interact with them while we were gone.

Our cat, Shobha, had to stay outside the entire two weeks we were gone, but was well provided for. Matt, Kristy and Madison didn't see her once, and neither did our daughter who came by to water indoor plants, but that is normal for Shobha. She's not especially frightened; she's just standoffish with people other than us. We've been back almost two days now, and she hasn't quit letting us know how we inconvenienced her and HAS to be very close to one or both of us.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

The cream legbars are gorgeous!!! There probably isn't a bantam variety. I will definitely have to talk to you about gettibg cream legbar or Easter egger eggs or chicks

There aren't bantams, but Cream Legbars fall under "light fowl" just like leghorns so they are small, production type birds, I'd say my hens are around 4 lb and the roos around 5 1/2 so they have a good feed-to-egg conversion ratio. Same with the Sapphires.

When I got out yesterday to check everyone, there are actually 16 chicks rather than 14, and all look good. Our chicken caretakers did a very good job with them. We have more than a dozen coops/pens, with between 80 to 120 chickens at any given time, so it is quite a job. Of course, we try to pay well.

Talked with Matt at length yesterday, and he's already picking out the spot to build their first chicken pen--designing it on the order of mine. Madison, his just-turned-four-year-old darling, helped him diligently with the chickens, and loved it! Matt said she remembered everything I'd told them and prompted him several times when he didn't do it "right". She was a delight when I took them around to show them what to do before going (also left them detailed written instructions). She noticed right away that our dog knew my routine with the pens, and several times said, "just follow the dog!" Shiloh was very happy to get to interact with them while we were gone.

Our cat, Shobha, had to stay outside the entire two weeks we were gone, but was well provided for. Matt, Kristy and Madison didn't see her once, and neither did our daughter who came by to water indoor plants, but that is normal for Shobha. She's not especially frightened; she's just standoffish with people other than us. We've been back almost two days now, and she hasn't quit letting us know how we inconvenienced her and HAS to be very close to one or both of us.

That's hilarious! And fantastic that you have such a great pet sitter. They are HARD to find, I have heard HORROR stories!

 

[ashtree]

And @Loriemarler don't forget about Arlos EE project! That's all his deal since Ninja the bantam ameraucana is definitely a roo. He's so excited, his little business plan is super cute. I can't wait to see some of the chicks he gets with our random bantam girls. He asked for a brinsea mini for Christmas but I don't know, that's kind of a big expense. As I type this I can hear him outside crowing. Yep. Homeschooled.

I'm curious as to what others with runs use to keep out mud. I'm using straw and I just take it out after if rains. It's super heavy stuff. I was reading that you can throw dry stuff on the wet stuff but I also read about some kind of mold caused by wet straw. So if I continue using straw do I just need to take it all out and add dry stuff after every rain? Or can I let it go for awhile, and add dry straw as necessary?

 

[miohippus]

could predators get through this type of dog wire???

 

[organicfrmr]

Hi all new to the chicken site. Am building a coop as I speak here in s.e. okc. Want to use sand as the bedding in my coop and wondering if someone can steer me to someone reasonable and makes home deliver.